Local Service Members Among Recent Deaths In Afghanistan

The U.S. military confirmed with the Associated Press that one service member from Maryland and another from Virginia have been killed in Afghanistan.

The Pentagon says a sailor from Maryland was among those killed last week when a military helicopter crashed during a firefight with insurgents in a remote area of southern Afghanistan. Petty Officer 1st Class Patrick Feeks of Edgewater, Md., was among seven Americans and four Afghans killed in that crash. Feeks was assigned to a Navy special warfare unit. He was 28 years old.

The Department of Defense is also confirming that Marine Staff Sergeant Gregory Copes of Lynch Station, Va., died on Friday, along with another Marine from Colorado. He was a member of the Corps Special Operations Command and was 36 years old. No other detail was released, but officials in Afghanistan have said two Americans were killed Friday when an Afghan Police recruit opened fire on U.S. troops.

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